Traditionally, marker posts are used to place as an above the ground warning that an underground pipe or electric line is buried in the soil. The marker post must be somewhat visually and physically unobtrusive, yet be able to warn a person that an underground utility exists at the particularly marked location. In addition, the marker post must be able to withstand the environment for an extended period of time. The marker post should also be able to remain embedded at the location of the underground utility in order to continue to convey a warning message of the existence of an underground hazard to those who may be in the proximity of the underground hazard.
One problem with traditional marker posts is that once embedded, those marker posts stand a good chance of being up-lifted due to a variety of reasons such as by individuals who are in the proximity of the marker post or by nature, such as due to severely windy storms. In addition there is a need for a marker that contains a tracer or test station.